Six on Saturday (4 March 2023)

Brrrrrr. And it’s set to get even more brrrrr early next week. Meteorological spring may have sprung but the garden seems to have stalled somewhat as many plants that were on the cusp of flowering (good word ‘cusp’) have thought better of it for now. Anyway, time for Six on Saturday.

1. The delivery of gravel I was waiting for last Saturday arrived just as I’d started eating some warmed up leftover macaroni cheese at 12.25pm. As feared, there was nowhere near enough, despite adding a few extra paving stones to the path to try and eke it out a bit. Feeling like I had to finish the job that very afternoon, I nipped to the garden centre and ended up buying the same quantity of gravel again, this time loading it into the little Suzuki, ignoring how alarmingly weighed down the back of the car looked. The gravel is still a little thin in places but it will do for now. The removable brick edging along the path and around the lawn has been raised to prevent the borders spilling over and hopefully the larger pebble-like gravel won’t get trampled into the lawn as easily as the old chippings.

2. The following day I decided to smash up the basin of the crumbling cement and stone bird bath and use the rubble, together with some other bits of old hardcore gathered from the garden over the years, to hide the water reservoir/pot of the solar powered water feature. The dry stone wall (filled with gravelly soil dug from the path to create a small raised bed) is rather precarious and I fear the neighbour’s cat may send it tumbling. Time will tell.

3. This Saxifraga ‘Pink Heart’ has been planted next to the water feature, together with an Aubrieta and another alpine, Erodium i’vealreadymislaidthelabelus. I tend to treat Saxifraga as annuals as they never survive here, although perhaps the improved drainage will suit it better.

4. Now this was a pleasant surprise. A returnee from a pack of mixed Wilko Iris reticulata that someone identified as ‘Clairette’ last year. Growing near a rock I put bird seed out on, miraculously it hasn’t been flattened by the wood pigeons.

5. The Irises seem to be lasting a lot longer in the cold weather, which is an upside I guess. However, they aren’t the main focus of this photo. Well, they’re not meant to be. The tulips have emerged! I suspect they might be ‘Violet Beauty.’

6. And finally… I’ve been pondering getting a yellow Hellebore for a while now and found myself ordering this one earlier in the week. It arrived within a few days. One of those less bashful Hellebores that hold their flowers up, it has a very Catchphrasey ‘say what you see’ kind of name: Helleborus x hybridus (Ashwood Evolution Group) ‘Yellow with golden nectaries and red flush’.

They were my Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of the current Six on Saturday host, Jim.

Six on Saturday (30 April 2022)

The neighbour’s fence that was toppled during Storm Eunice has been repaired. Posts and panels are upright once more and, as far as I can tell, with minimal plant tramplage on this side (although I noticed Gerty the climbing rose had been trussed up to a cane, presumably to minimise risk of injury from our side whilst battling with a Pyracantha on their side). New wires have been attached to the posts in order to tie in and train Gerty once more and the posts will be painted over the weekend once I’ve purchased a tin of green paint from Wilko later today, steering well clear of the plant and seed aisle. What was that? Oh ye of little faith. I have great willpower. Honest. And while we’re on the subject of honesty…

1. This has a tendency to get a little overenthusiastic in the wildlife border (the border with the small pond). Still, it’s easy enough to pull up. Last autumn I transplanted a few seedlings to some of the other beds. It’s looking rather elegant at the moment, although I should have been a bit more ruthless with one particularly large plant that appears to be loving the extra sun in the err… sunny border. I’ll let a few go to seed and pull up the rest.

2. Also growing in the sunny border is a plant I’d completely forgotten about. A new addition last autumn, the two Camassia bulbs are up and flowering. I’m baffled why I didn’t grow this years ago and more will definitely be acquired.

3. One of the main things I’ve tried to do with our small plot of green is to ensure that there’s scent to enjoy all year round. The Coronilla, Viburnum carlesii ‘Compactum’ and Daphne x transatlantica ‘Eternal Fragrance’ are still all doing their fragrant flowery thing. However, the dwarf Korean Lilac (Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’) is poised, ready to join in the perfume par-tay. 

4. Like Honesty, the Forget-me-nots also have a tendency to be a little overenthusiastic at times. Again, they’re easy enough to keep in check if necessary. Sown nearly 10 years ago, they’ve seeded themselves here, there and everywhere ever since. The bee-flies love them.

5. Whereas I’m guaranteed Forget-me-nots and Honesty every spring, alas the same can’t be said for Saxifraga. I treat them as annuals. This time I’ve decided to plant them in the newly rockeryfied border under the swing seat. Will this make the slightest difference as far as their longevity goes? We’ll find out in 2023.

6. And finally… Tulips. A new batch of ‘Violet Beauty’ was potted up in December. It wowed me back in April 2021 and it’s wowing me again this spring.

They were my Six on Saturday. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, take a look at the site of the chap who started it all over at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.

Six on Saturday (1 May 2021)

Finally, rain! On Tuesday I had three completely empty water butts and one half empty/half full (delete according to your outlook on life). On Wednesday I awoke to find the two connected to the guttering of the house completely replenished. Plants are certainly looking a lot perkier but I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on some of my seedlings; I fear the slugs and snails are going to have an extra glide to their slide.

Later today the process of hardening off the sweet peas will begin. Once they’re ready to live out the rest of their days in the garden I’ll have space in the mini greenhouse for the adolescent Black-eyed Susan and Tomato seedlings that have been living a far too cushy life on window sills. The Black-eyed Susans are growing at a frightening pace despite pinching out the main shoots. Still, they’re not in quite the same league of rampant growiness as my first Six on Saturday.

1. Clematis Montana may well be the only clematis I haven’t managed to finish off. It’s buds have just started to open and the egg custard/nutmeg scented flowers are looking rather splendid, especially against a blue sky.

It grows up and occasionally over a fence. I usually chop it back hard every other year or so, but last year I decided to send it over to the blue shed, bridging the gap with some wire. I may come to regret this (shoots have already made it inside the shed) but it’ll be easy enough to stop the monster Montana in its tracks should I need to.

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2. From Montana to Mahonia, not something I thought I’d find myself writing as I’ve always been a bit anti-Mahonia. The flowers are lovely and fragrant but I’ve always found the leaves to be freakishly out of proportion somehow. I know, I know, I have issues. But a few years ago I came across Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ and found myself adding it to my maybe-one-day wish list. On a trip to a garden centre early in April I spotted this little Mahonia, the last one, and it’s now planted in the rather shady conservatory bed to help provide some more structure. The leaves are pleasingly ferny (and in proportion) and the flowers will be an added bonus come late summer and autumn.

3. Growing in the same bed as the Mahonia are these Blue Bells, the native English variety. Those growing in another bed are almost certainly a hybrid lot that I’ll attempt to get shot of once they’ve finished flowering, although I don’t fancy my chances of success.

4. Next up, a Saxifraga. A White one. They never survive the winter here for some reason so I treat them as annuals.

5. The Forget-me-nots have been flowering for a while but they’ve gone full-on frothy now. Once they’ve started to die back and set seed they’ll be removed to make space for other things.

6. And finally… I appear to be somewhat lacking in flowering Honesty this spring, though there are plenty of seedlings coming up in the wildlife bed. Perhaps I was a little too ruthless pulling up last year’s seedlings.

They were my Six on Saturday. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, take a look at the site of the chap who started it all over at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.

Six on Saturday (18 April 2020)

Rain! Water butt replenishing, garden soaking, plant rejuvenating rain. Blue sky and balmy sunshine is all well and good but after a while you can have too much of a good thing and yesterday’s wet stuff was very much welcomed. More is forecast for today. We’ve also had the odd frosty morning or two in Somerset, though thankfully seedlings were tucked up all safe and sound. Most of the tulips have gone over now (I’ve come to terms with it) but there’s still plenty of colour to be found in the garden, although this week’s Six on Saturday features quite a bit of blue…

1. First up, bluebells. They’re supposed to be our native variety but I’m not so sure; they’ve always looked suspiciously hybridised to me. However, I’m learning to live with them as past attempts at pulling up the bulbs have proved futile; besides, they look nice.

2. Continuing the blue theme, the standard Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. repens has bloomed. Last year it failed to do much of anything but it’s upped its game this spring. Interestingly, prior to opening, the flower buds resembled the deep blue of the old and rather large Ceanothus that used to grow in this spot. Now they’ve opened the flowers are a pale blue and proving popular with the bees.

3. The sweet peas are looking nice and healthy so far, much better than last year’s batch. I pinched their tops out earlier in the week. One box of sweet peas will be left on my mother-in-law’s door step in a few weeks leaving me with two boxes of plants to find space for; it might be a struggle.

4. Back to flowers of bluey hue. The forget-me-nots are flowering away now and are a big favourite of the bee flies.

5. As predicted, the red and white Saxifrages I planted last spring didn’t make it through the winter. Replacements were purchased at the beginning of March and I’ll continue to treat them like annuals.

6. And finally… The only Clematis that I haven’t yet managed to kill, the nutmeg scented Montana, is in full bloom. Last year it escaped over and through the fence into the neighbour’s Pyracantha. I’m keeping a closer eye on it this year. It usually gets a very harsh prune after it’s finished flowering to keep it vaguely under control.

They were my Six on Saturday. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, take a look at the site of the chap who started it all over at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com. Stay safe everyone.